Big Brother 17: Live Feeds Bulletin - PoV Meeting - September 7

As expected, Austin saved himself and Steve put up Julia as the renom. So, it's both twins on the block. If Vanessa and Johnny Mac are smart, they'll send Liz (the more athletic of the two) packing. We'll see.

Big Brother 17: Live Feeds into Monday - September 7

Needs to win HoH this week

Happy Labor Day, folks! Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Workin' It:

• No brouhahas, no kerfuffles.
• Vanessa went to bed early.
• Liz and Austin secluded themselves for a long time leaving Julia to mingle with Steve and Johnny Mac.
• Julia was surprised when Johnny Mac told her that he was losing money by being in the house.
• She was thinking the stipend. For years it was $750 a week. I know in the past year or two it has been reported to have gone up to $1,000 a week. That would be gross, not net. That shouldn't be non-attainable for most college grads if they can get a job in the field in which they're qualified by degree. I guess if they're unemployed or underemployed, it's a lot. It's certainly not a fortune for a young dentist with huge college loans.
• Aw, Julia misses James.
• Maybe she'll see him in the jury house soon!
• Liz and Julia each smoked a cigarette. Liz kept saying how dizzy she was afterwards.
• Huh.
• What was in that cigarette?
• The twins think they get to decide which one goes to jury on Thursday.
• Liz is thinking that Julia might be the better chance to stay.
• Of course, they're assuming that the others will abide by their choice.
• Austin told Liz that she should be the one to stay.
• I guess we'll see what comes around when it comes around.
• Maybe Steve will name Vanessa the renom.
• BWAHAHAHAHA!
• Like that would happen!
• Vanessa told Austin that she thinks Steve would win if in the final two.
• They all turned in relatively early for them.
• Steve told us that he's skeptical of Vanessa, but the Austwins really need to be broken up.
• It's a numbers thing, y'see.

Thinking of Liz and Austin?

Julia mingles with the boys

Austwins chess game

Big Brother 17: Live Feeds Sunday into the Evening - September 6

Big wheels keep on turnin'

Sunday isn't necessarily Funday in the BB House. It's more like Nap More Than Usual Day. Nonetheless, here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Exercising Egos:

• The hate for Austin didn't last long. Liz is back with him.
• Ew.
• They deserve each other.
• Liz is whacked. She complimented the chicken he made for her despite the fact it had ants in it and likes that (he hasn't been out of bed) his fingers smell like garlic.
• Why would his fingers smell like garlic while in bed nowhere near the kitchen in either time or space?
• EW.
• Lots of exercising in the backyard today.
• Lots of napping.
• Lots of ants in the kitchen.
• And, they're out of Raid-uhhhh!
• Lots of small talk.
• Lots of yawns.
• Little game talk going on today. Johnny Mac said he'd vote whichever way the twins want.
• Keep in mind that, technically, Austin is still on the block with Liz.
• But everyone knows that Julia will go up in his place.
• And, it looks like Julia will probably go home although it would be smarter to take out Liz at the point.
• We'll see.

Ew, back together again

Ants-uuh! It's an infestation-uhhh!

A hamster is indeed a rodent

Big Brother 17: Second HoH Comp (not live), Nominations Show Blog Party - Sept. 6

Good evening! Ready for a blog party? While many of us already know the results of the PoV comp, tonight's episode will focus on the second HoH comp and nominations not shown (not done at the time) on Thursday. It's kind of like experiencing jet lag!

I'll be updating this entry with the major happenings as it airs here on the East Coast. Refresh the page to get the latest. As always, the real party is in the comments area. I hope to see you there!

Recap, recap. Vanessa is relieved that her only person who she wasn't working with (James) went out in the double eviction. Steve feels the same. Johnny Mac says it's time for a bloodbath. Austin doesn't want to win the upcoming HoH and get "blood on his hands." Vanessa would prefer Steve or Johnny Mac win to get one of the twins out. She promises Austin she "can make it happen." Then she runs to JM to tell him. Then to Steve.

Time to HoH comp! It's a baseball themed game. Liz thinks if Austin, Vanessa or Steve win, she and Julia are safe. (Ha.) Shown trading cards at a rapid speed, make puzzles of the missing player. In each round, last one to solve is eliminated. 

Austin tells us he's not throwing the comp -- too risky. Johnny Mac knows he's in trouble if Austwins win. 

1st round - Steve, Julia, John, Austin ... Vanessa out.
2nd round - John, Julia, Steve ... Austin out.
3rd round - Steve, John ... Julia out.
4th round - STEVE WINS HOH! (And Julia/Liz think they're safe. Ha.) Johnny Mac tells us he's letting Steve have it because next time will be physical, not Steve's specialty. Vanessa is happy. 

While the twins are happy, Austin tells us he knows Steve is a numbers guy and will probably realize the Austwins need to be split up. 

Vanessa hints to the twins that Steve is close with John and might put them up. Austin talks to Steve who tells him that he knows he's at the bottom of the Scamper Squad. Austin is willing to give up Julia and promises he and Liz won't target Steve. Steve doesn't trust him, but acts like he does.

Austin tells Liz that Steve may put them (twins) up. Liz wants Julia to talk to Steve. Julia is closer to Steve and never has liked Austin much anyway. 

Who wants to see my HoH room? Yawn. He got a teddy bear. The twins suck up and Johnny Mac mocks them to us from the Diary Room. 

Vanessa tells Steve that putting the twins up together isn't a good idea if the veto is won. The weakest (Julia) must remain off the block. She tells him that Austin and Liz should be the nominees. Yes, ma'am. Whatever you say. (Although that is solid thinking as long as Vanessa isn't his target.) 

Johnny Mac thinks it's best they target Austin. Steve thinks he should warn Austin. Silly naive Steve. He tells Austin he doesn't think he can put the twins up together. He pussyfoots around telling Austin the target and tells him that he doesn't know. 

Nominations today. Steve is visibly down. He nominates Austin, then Liz. Making a move best for his game, sorry. Liz runs off crying.

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - September 6, 2015

Good morning! Welcome to my weekly off television topic reflection of the past week in both words and photographs I've taken along the way; This post is a year 'round "feature" on the blog. If you're looking for Big Brother posts, they can all be found at this link right here. If you're not interested in this particular post, please feel free to skip on by it. I'll be posting a Big Brother blog party post coinciding with the East Coast airing of the show and, late this evening, another live feeds post. Stay tuned.

Yes! Another week closer to staycation week! I have a short week ahead. I'm only working three days, plus going in for a couple of hours (like two) tomorrow. I so need the rest even though I'll still be covering Big Brother. But I can do that in my pajamas and slippers! My workplace's dress code frowns on such attire there.

A few random observations on the week gone by:

• No means NO. If you're a bum asking me for money or cigarettes, go away. No means NO. I should only have to say it once. Go away. Shoo. If you're peddling religion and I say NO, I mean NO. Shoo. Leave me alone. Don't act shocked. Don't be surprised. Don't argue with me. Just go away. Yes, I'm starting to get surly with these people. I work for what I have in life and I already have my own thoughts on religion.
• I'm starting to see a bit of color (other than green) here and there in the trees and bushes. But the temperatures sure have been screaming summer.
• I met the man who lives upstairs from me this past week. He's lived there over a year now and I've never seen him ... heard him now and then, but never a face-to-face. We met looking out the building's front window at the crime scene (below) Tuesday night. Pleasant enough guy. He'd be a bit thumpy had they not put wall-to-wall carpet down up there, though. I didn't tell him that. Nor did I tell him that I heard him vacuuming at 3:30am this past Christmas morning.
• Keebler Grasshopper cookies taste a lot like Girl Scouts Thin Mints cookies, but are a heck of a lot cheaper.

Without further ado, onto this week's photos! Clicking on an image will bring up a larger version.

The moon on Monday night

I always love the challenge of taking a good shot at the moon. Monday's moon wasn't quite full, but was like a golden globe large in the sky. And there I was, with a point and shoot camera (a decent one, but ...!) and no tripod. Yay, a challenge! I'm thrilled with the shots I got -- details of craters and all. Of course, I also got a lot of shots which called for the delete button. But that's the beauty of digital photography. It's not like I'm paying to process film which contains yellow-white globs in a sea of black!

Eek. A crime scene at my apartment!

Well, not really AT my apartment. At my apartment building, though. It was Tuesday night. There I was innocently watching the evening Judge Judy block on WLNY when I heard four gunshots which sounded like they were right outside my window. Eek! Vincent even jumped and he doesn't jump for fireworks! I thought someone was either shooting at cars in the parking lot or perhaps the guy downstairs's ex-girlfriend was shooting at him. (She's been coming around yelling at him a lot lately.) But I heard no glass breaking. Hmm.

I was going to call 911, but turned on my scanner instead. Aha, they were already chasing the guy, even broadcast his name. No sense calling 911. It turns out they had been looking for him for some sort of gun sale sting and he fled through backyards, ending up at my building. From behind the big tree in the front on my side of the building, he fired the four shots ambushing one of the police cars. So, not right outside my window ... but we're talking maybe 200 feet away. Much too close for comfort. No one was hit.

The news story is at this link. He ended up running across the street and into the brook, then getting caught about two blocks away. One interesting thing to note is the the police prefer to get paper cups, not Styrofoam ones, to mark bullet casings. The crime scene, all lighted up and lots of hubbub, lasted until the wee hours. It wasn't conducive to sleep.

Look, deer

As a friend and I hit the landing heading to the Bridgewater Train Station eastbound track, I saw these two fawns on the other side of the fence. I said, "Look, deer." three or four times until my friend gave me a puzzled look which seemed to say, "Why are you calling me 'dear'?"

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